What am i eating and WHY?

[BarnMomma]

So I'm Ms. Health Nut over here. Last pregnancy my cravings consisted of raw veggies and fruit and lots of soup. Fine. No problem there.

This time? Sweets. Cookies especially, and no not those nice healthy oatmeal cookies DS and I make almost daily that use spelt or oat flour and no sugar and salba and lots of walnuts and good stuff...but the processed health food store version of oreos. Those sandwhich cookies with the creme filling...all i want. And since I'm in the health food store probably every other day I buy a bag of them every other day, eat half, get disgusted with myself, and throw them away, only to repeat this nasty cycle in a day or two.

Yuck yuck yuck.

But seriously, I'm like dreaming about them. 8ut I really don't want to gain a ton of weight this time around. I gained 40 lbs with my DS and I was hoping to keep it to 30 or under this time around which I think is very reasonable with a healthy diet. So far at 18 weeks, I've gained about 10 lbs.

Cookies need to go. Or I need to hire someone to do my grocery shopping so I stay the hell out of the cookie aisle.

OK Rant over.

[at_the_hip]

10 lbs at 18 weeks doesn't seem high at all to me...then again I tend to gain about a lb a week!

[tri31]

I can relate. Sometimes (ok almost everyday) I have to have something sweet. I make sure I eat fruit even if it is not what I want. It's sweet and filling, and it helps me. I also recently discovered popcicles which are hydrating and sweet tooth satisfying. Thankfully the Christmas cookies are gone.

[olive&pimiento]

Originally Posted by tri31

I can relate. Sometimes (ok almost everyday) I have to have something sweet. I make sure I eat fruit even if it is not what I want. It's sweet and filling, and it helps me. I also recently discovered popcicles which are hydrating and sweet tooth satisfying. Thankfully the Christmas cookies are gone.

I agree with the above. I know that many people say that craving sugar means that you are not eating enough protein, but I question this. I think we crave fruit (sweets) because it has vitamins, fiber and it hydrates, all things we need in pregnancy. I find that eating a serving or two squelches the craving like no protein can.

[aikigypsy]

Yeah, craving things because of protien/vitamins/etc. might happen, but my big, totally unscientific theory is that pregnancy takes a lot of energy and that cravings for ice cream and sugary things are just a craving for calories, lots of calories.

[SilverFish]

my solution has been to eat all the crap i want, but exercise. eventually, i do get to the end of my cravings, but meanwhile, yoga, skating and lots of walking are taking care of of the weight gain and extra calories. i've actually probably got better muscle tone now than i did last year.

[Galatea]

IME, craving sugar actually means needing protein. Try eating more protein and see what happens.

[MiaMama]

My approach to heathy diet in pregnancy, and the approach I always suggest to friends who are trying to lose weight, is to have a list of things I am supposed to eat, instead of a list I am NOT supposed to eat. I don't like deprivation, and I LOVE food.

If I eat all the stuff I am supposed to eat, then I go ahead and eat whatever else I feel like. I end up eating less junk because I am full by the time I get there... but I also get the nutrients that I needed from my food.

[tngirl11]

The good thing about pg cravings is that they usually don't last that long. At least, that's how it is for me. I will crave some really bad thing for a few days, eat it, and move on. The last few days I've been craving ice cream, which I haven't particularly wanted since very early on. So I bought a carton and have been eating it. When it's gone, it's gone, and chances are, the craving will be going away too!